Life Moves On
by NatPerson
Summary: I'm terrible at summaries. AU where Rachel and Kurt are cousins. AU, OC, the usual. Rated M because crazy stuff happens that I haven't thought of yet. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story occurs in an AU where Rachel and Kurt never went to McKinley. I'm only changing the personality type of Rachel within this story. I do not own Glee, nor do I own the characters of Kurt and Rachel. I do, however, own the characters that I will be creating within the story.**

**Rating is M for future situations.**

**Reviews are appreciated, and welcomed!**

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><p>Hair straight? Check.<p>

Headphones around neck? Check.

iPod charged and loud? Check.

Rachel took one last look in the mirror before heading out to the table. What she saw looking back at her was the same as every morning. The quiet, friendly Rachel Berry who took shit from no one. Period.

"Rachel! Would you hurry up already?" her cousin Kurt hollered from the bottom of the stairs. Ever since her dads had been killed in a car crash 3 years ago, she has been living at the Hummel house, with her favourite cousin and uncle, Kurt and Burt Hummel. She turned away from the mirror with a sigh, and headed down the stairs.

"I'm coming, Kurt. Relax!" she said as she bounced down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed her ready-made mango protein smoothie from the counter and took a seat across from Kurt. Burt walked up and placed a plate of waffles and fruit in front of Kurt.

"Thanks Dad, but you know I don't eat carbs on Thursdays." Kurt said with a smile.

Burt shrugged. "Fine by me, I wanted seconds this morning anyway." Burt piled three more waffles on top of the four that were already on his plate. Kurt poked at the fruit in the bowl, and nibbled on a strawberry. "So, what's on the agenda for today, Rachel?"

Rachel sipped her smoothie slowly, pausing for a moment to think of what to say to her uncle. "Going to my class, then probably the gym." She couldn't lie to him: the man was a human lie detector.

"Okay, sounds productive. Just don't forget about picking up groceries on your way back. Dinner's your responsibility tonight, and no tofu this time. That was horrible," Burt said with a shudder, reminiscing when Rachel made dinner last.

"How does pasta sound? I'll even make meatballs for you." Rachel was a vegan, but her doctor told her that she was severely anemic, so she had to slowly reintroduce her system to meat, or else be forced to take iron pills, and Rachel Berry does not do pills.

"Perfect! I'll make a Greek salad to go with it!" Kurt chimed in, making Burt smile. Seeing his son struggle with his sexuality and his niece with the death of her fathers over the past few years had taken a toll on him as well, but to see them both so happy again made him smile.

Burt cleared his throat, and continued to Kurt. "And what about you, mister? Don't think I forgot about that photography final you were freaking out about last night. You think you're ready for it?" Kurt raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, silently telling Burt, "I got this." They all finished their breakfasts in relative silence, then one by one, they left the table, off to continue with their days.

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><p><strong>AN: I know, it's a short chapter, but it's meant as a sort of prologue. Intro is probably a better word for it. Hopefully a new chapter will be out tonight, if all goes ahead as planned. Read and review please!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know, the first chapter is short and crappy. I just wanted to make sure something was up, so I'd have something to go off of.**

**I do not own Glee. I own my people and my computer.**

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><p>"So, what were you thinking about today at breakfast?" Kurt asked Rachel. It was easier to talk to her away from his dad, so that she'd feel less tense.<p>

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Rachel said, leaning her arm against the window of her cousin's Mercedes.

"Rachel, I'm not an idiot. I have eyes, and when my dad was talking to you, your body was sitting at the table, but your mind was somewhere else. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, Kurt." Rachel stared outside, hoping the car ride would be over faster. Kurt didn't expect Rachel to open up to him, though. Even before her dads died, Rachel usually kept to herself, not because nobody would listen, but just because that was Rachel: quiet, friendly, and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Kurt feared for the person to back Rachel into a corner, because Rachel would lose all control.

"Okay, well, here's your stop. You want me to pick you up later?"

"No, that's fine. I have to stop at the grocery store anyway. You want me to pick up anything while I'm there?"

Kurt thought for a second. "Yeah, actually. Red onions and some fresh feta cheese. If I'm making that salad, I don't want to half-ass it," he said with a smile. "Have a good day!"

"Thanks. Good luck on your final!" Rachel said as Kurt rolled up the window and began to drive off. Rachel walked into the familiar building, and made her way to the campus café. Luckily for her, she knew the times that the place usually got unbearably busy, so she made sure she got there at a time when she didn't have to stand in line for 10 minutes at a time. There was only one person in front of her, so she silently congratulated herself on her proper timing.

"What can I get you, hon?" The brown-haired man in front of her paused to look up at the menu board. This irritated the hell out of Rachel.

"If you're going to be in line, at least know what you want. Don't piss everyone else off behind you," she thought to herself. Finally, he spoke.

"I'll have a large low-fat caramel latté, extra hot." Rachel crinkled her nose in confusion. "Nobody likes that drink. _I _order that drink all the time!"

The woman at the front cash saw Rachel behind the strange customer. She sees Rachel every day. "Two large low-fat Caramel Lattés, high-heat," she called out to the barista. "Heard!" the barista responded.

The man frowned. "I don't think you heard me right. I said I just wanted one."

"No, darlin', I'm not that old. But the young lady behind you orders the same thing, and it's easier to prep two at once then one at a time." Rachel stifled a chuckle.

"How much is it?" The woman sighed. "$3.28, dear." He handed the woman a $10 bill. "I'll pick up her drink as well."

Rachel piped up. "That's not necessary. I have my money right here." She fumbled around in her wallet. He put his hand on hers. "Relax. It's paid for. Consider this a hello and a nice to meet you. I'm Alex."

After looking up to meet his green-eyed gaze, Rachel was able to speak. "Rachel. Nice to meet you." Alex picked up the drinks and began to walk away from the counter. Rachel walked quickly to catch up to him.

"Hey!" Alex turned around. "I thought you bought one of those for me!"

"I did, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't walk you to class as well?"

Rachel stopped walking. Alex noticed, and turned to face her. "I-I don't even know you."

"No, but making friends is fun, right?"

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Alex spoke before she could. "What room number?"

"Uh, 424."

"Wait, Creative Writing 403?"

"Yeah...why?"

"That's where I'm headed." Rachel stood, dumbfounded. "How come I've never seen you in the class before?"

"I'm a new transfer? Does that make sense to you? Anyways, here's your coffee." He extended the coffee to her, and she reluctantly took it. "Thank you again. I'll pay you back as soon as I can break this five."

Alex laughed. "No, you won't, because I'm not going to let you." He went ahead of her and held the door open so she could walk through, and he followed closely behind.

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><p><strong>AN: Yay! I finished this chapter before midnight! R&amp;R, and with any luck, I'll have another chapter up tomorrow!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter three! Exciting, I know. This chapter will be slightly Kurt-centric, but Rachel will show up at some point. **

**Also, sorry that the first two haven't been that long. It looks like a lot more on my word processor than it actually is :P**

**I do not own Glee. I own my people and my computer.**

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><p>Pulling into his parking space, Kurt could think of nothing but how Rachel had blocked him out this morning. He didn't understand what it was that she was thinking about, or why she didn't really want to talk about it, but he had a final to write, so he shrugged it off to think about it later.<p>

Walking from the parking garage to the exam hall, Kurt silently reviewed photography terms in his head. "Aperture, focal point, rule of thirds... Why am I freaking out inside? I know this stuff!" he thought to himself. Kurt had a habit of brushing off the fear and anxiety of exams while preparing for them, but when it came to writing one, he was a wreck. He walked into the closest bathroom, and ran the cold water. Leaning over the sink, he took a few deep breaths and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Focus, Kurt. You can do this. Use this anxiousness as a motivation." This mantra generally worked for him whenever he needed it. Looking down into the sink once more, he cupped his hands and splashed some cool water onto his face to relax him.

Turning off the tap, he let the water run off his face back into the sink. He reached for a paper towel and wiped his face off, taking one last look at himself in the mirror before walking out to write the exam.

"Students, take a seat anywhere you see an exam package. Do not turn over the exam booklet, and fill out the loose sheet on the top of the package with your student number and today's date." Kurt always hated the TAs, and for good reason: they made you seem like you were a convict, writing a test to determine if you were guilty or innocent. Nonetheless, he filled out the sheet, and awaited the shrill tone of the timer which would announce that he could begin the exam.

*BEEEEEP*

"Alright, the time is currently 10 AM, you may begin writing your exam, and you may not leave until one hour has passed. Good luck to you, everyone!"

Kurt turned over the exam booklet, took one last deep breath, and pressed his pencil to the page.

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><p>Rachel sipped her latté and listened attentively to the professor at the front of the large room. She couldn't imagine ever having to talk in front of that many people before. There was easily over 1,000 people in the lecture hall, all but one were complete strangers to her: Alex. She stared at the back of his head from two rows behind, wondering about his gesture this morning.<p>

"Alright, the lecture is over for today. See you all next week. I expect those papers on my desk by midnight two days before." Rachel broke out of her daze to see people packing up and leaving around her. She picked up her audio recorder and stopped the recording, sliding the small device into her computer bag. Rachel bought it at the beginning of the semester when one of the Support Peers in the Resource Centre suggested it to help her study better. It also made her feel better because she knew that there were certain points where she would doze off and not hear parts of the lecture.

She stood up with her bag, and began to walk to the end of her row. She needed to hit the gym, and more importantly, take her mind off of the day's events.

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><p>"Question 25: If you are shooting a subject at an aperture of f11, what would be the appropriate ISO and exposure to shoot with? Describe three situations where this may be helpful to know off hand...Does now count?" Kurt thought to himself. He expected this to be difficult, but this question was just ridiculous. Luckily for him, this was the last question he had left to answer, and it was only worth 3 points on the whole exam.

*BEEEEEEEP*

Kurt looked up, pencil still pressed to the paper. "Students, it is now 11 AM, and the first point in which you can hand in your exam papers. You may leave at any point after now. If you are finished your exam, please place the booklet and test papers in the folder with your name on it, and bring it forward. You may leave after you have handed in all required materials."

Kurt had no hesitation. He closed the booklet, slid the test papers in one side of the folder, the booklet in the other, and stood up to walk over to the front desk. He handed the folder to the TA and smiled with a silent nod. She returned the gesture, and Kurt left the room, walking as quickly as he could towards his Mercedes. Unlocking the door, he sat behind the wheel, closed the door, and let out a sigh of relief. He whipped out his phone and sent a text off to Rachel.

"Done! Heading to the grocery store. Want me 2 pick up your stuff?" A reply was not far off, Kurt was sure. He put his phone down, fastened his seatbelt, and began to put the key in the ignition. Before he could, a familiar tone emitted from the phone.

"Awesome! Sure. A bag of penne, breadcrumbs, ground beef and chicken, and roasted red peppers from the deli." Kurt's mouth watered as he could only imagine what Rachel would make at this point. He replied with a quick "Okay" and began to drive off.

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><p><strong>A<strong>**/N: I love how many people have put my story on Story Alert! Thanks everyone! With any luck, I'll pump out another chapter by tonight. Review Please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so happy with the way this chapter came out! It wasn't what I was planning originally, but I like it even more! Please review?**

**Also, I forgot to mention, Rachel, Kurt and Alex are all 21.**

**I do not own Glee. I own my people and my computer.**

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><p>Over and above the music pumping in her ears, Rachel could feel the blood pulsing through her body, and knew that she had put in quite the workout. She decided to hop off the treadmill and call it a day. The towel around her neck was drenched with sweat, but she dabbed her forehead off and walked into the warm change room.<p>

When she opened her locker, she saw the message alert flashing on the screen of her phone: someone had been trying to get in contact with her. When she unlocked her phone, she saw three missed calls and four text messages, all from Kurt.

"Rachel, where are you? It's almost dinner!"

"Rachel, this isn't funny. Answer your phone! Come on!"

"Seriously, Rachel. I'm getting tired of this. Pick up your phone!"

"I swear, Rachel, if you don't call in the next 10 minutes, I'm calling the cops!"

Rachel sighed. Kurt was naturally protective over her, but ever since her dads died, she had become more prone to walking off and showing up at odd hours of the day or night, without letting anyone know where she was. It had gotten so bad that even Rachel didn't notice when she walked off at times. She sent him a quick text to let him know that she was alive, and that she was headed back to the house.

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><p>"I'm alive, dummy. I was at the gym. Chill. I'm coming back now. -R"<p>

Kurt was relieved. He honestly was scared that his cousin had gotten herself into some kind of trouble. Even Burt was scared when Rachel wandered off, considering he had never heard of that happening to her before.

"Dad, I'm gonna start boiling the water for the pasta, okay?" Burt nodded silently, staring at the front door. Kurt knew that his dad wouldn't stop staring at the door until Rachel walked through safely. Kurt worried as well, but he had a better view on Rachel than Burt did.

30 minutes after Kurt put the pot of water on, Rachel walked through the door. Burt moved to hug her, but before he could, Rachel's eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing. Burt dropped to his knees beside Rachel and turned to face Kurt, terror taking over his eyes.

"Call an ambulance!" he shouted, but Kurt was one step ahead of him.

"My cousin is having a seizure! Send an ambulance, please!" His voice was quivering at this point. There was no doubt, everyone in that room was either terrified or on the floor.

"Alright, sir. How old is she, and how long has the seizure been going on for?"

"Well, about 5 minutes now, I think. She's 21, and this has never happened to her before! Please, hurry!"

"Okay, sir. The paramedics will be there shortly. Is she still convulsing?" Kurt didn't hear what the dispatcher was saying at that point. He had dropped to his knees beside his father and Rachel. Burt picked up the phone and began to talk to the woman on the other end of the phone.

Kurt could barely make out what he was saying to her. He was too occupied in what was happening to Rachel. Her shaking appeared to have slowed down, but she was still going.

As if on cue, the paramedics came through the door, stretcher ready to re-enter the ambulance. Burt quickly thanked the person on the phone and hung up. A female paramedic gestured Kurt towards the couch, and Kurt collapsed in tears. A male paramedic began tending to Rachel, pushing a needle into her small hand. Kurt couldn't bear to look at the scene.

The female paramedic turned to Burt. "Are you her father?"

Burt cleared his throat. "Um, no. Her fathers died 3 years ago. I'm her uncle."

"Okay sir, we'll meet you at the hospital." Burt nodded and headed for his pick-up truck. The paramedics began wheeling Rachel's still quivering body into the back of the ambulance. The blonde paramedic began to walk out of the house, when Kurt called out to her.

"Wait. Can I ride with Rachel?" he said in a quiet voice.

She smiled. "You're her cousin?" Kurt nodded. "Of course. Come on, quickly now." Kurt moved quickly and stepped into the back of the sterile truck. He took a seat on the small bench and maintained the most composure he could. The male paramedic was hanging a bag of clear liquid on a pole affixed to the gurney.

"She's going to be okay." Kurt looked up to see that the male paramedic was talking to him. "You're her brother?" he asked.

Kurt cleared his throat. "Cousin. She's an only child." The paramedic smiled. "She's lucky to have you, then."

The rest of the ride to the hospital was silent, except for the pulsating tone coming from the heart monitor. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the female paramedic opened the doors from the outside and helped the male lift Rachel's gurney off the ambulance and onto the ground. Kurt stepped out and followed them as far as they would allow him to. When they got to the emergency ward, he saw his dad, and ran to hug him.

Burt pulled him in for a tighter embrace than he ever knew he could give to his son. Burt brought Kurt over to a mundane seating area. Beige, uncomfortable looking couches, and plenty of sad-faced, tired looking people. Kurt noticed two Starbucks coffee cups in a corner, and Burt gestured over towards the corner.

"I thought you might need a pick-me-up, so I got you a tai chi latté. Medium." Kurt smiled. "Do you mean a Grandé Chai Tea latté, Dad?" For the first time that night, Burt and his son shared a laugh. That laugh had meant something: it meant that, no matter what would come out of the doctor's mouth, everything was going to be okay.


End file.
